Automatic signal.



- Fl G.

N6..840;O95. PATENTED JAN. 1, 1907.

SHOEGRAPTQ AUTOMATIG'SIGNAL.

APPLICATION FILED A PR.20, 1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

IHVENTOR. M

FIG. 2.

No. 840,095. PATENTED JAN. 1,- 1907. J. SHOEORAPT.

- AUTOMATIC SIGNAL. APPLICATION IiLEP A PR.20,1906.

2 SHEETSS iNVENTOR.

' UNITED STATES PAEENT ostrich;

' Jonson 'sH'oEonArr, or EsKnineE, Kansas.

. A'uToMA'no SIGNAL.

Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed April. 20,1906. Serialllo. 312,918.

Patented Jan. 1, 1907.

I systems for railways operated or controlled by electric currents, said currents ,being adapte'd automatically to operate or control visuaflfisignals and being controlled directly or indirectly by the trains upon the tracks.

Signaling devices, as semaphores, are pro- '15- vided at each junction-point to indicate the condition ofthe'adjoining block or blocks.

Objects of my' invention "are to improve .generally upon block-signal systems particularly adapted to a single track on which the trains move in both -dire'ctions;.'toprovide such a'system'which is adapted to the three positions of clear, caution, and danj ger, but which requires only a single signaling device at each station instead of two- 2 5 signa ing devices ateach station or junctionpoint; to improve upon the system providing only vfor the danger and clear signals by simpliiiy'ing the circuit arrangements and making the operation more reliable and the mechan- 0 ism less liable to be gotten out of order, and

to provide the various parts and improvements heremafter set forth; and the invention consists of theparts, improvements, and combinations herein set forth and claimed.

5 Although I- have shownthe signaling device as the ordinary signal-blade or semaphore, itwill be understood that any other devices may be usedsuch, for instance, as lights of different colors. In the form shown 0 in the drawings the blade in horizontal position indicates dangerth'at is, train in the next adjoining block.{ In lowered position it 7 indicates a clear track,'and inthe third or raised position it indicates caution'that 5 is, that there is a train in the second block ahead. Normally the signals are in clear position,'a1though they tend naturally. to'maintain the danger-signal andv would go -to danerposition if the signal-motor circuit were flestroyed. They, arf set in the positions "enumerated by t etisain or trains automata y 1, V

' f In the drawings accompanying and form ing part of this specification and in the description thereoi l have illustrated the inven- 5 5 tion in its preferred form and have shown the .best mode of applying the principles thereof; but it is to be understood that the invention itself is not confined to these drawings and" be applied to other uses, that parts and combinations thereof as herein separately claimed may be used with or without the other devices of similar general nature, and that I.- conte'mplate changes in form, proportions, 6

materials, arrangement, the transposition of parts, and the substitution of equivalent. members without departing from the spirit of the invention. Figure 1 illustrates in diagram .a line of railway comprising four complete and two in.- complete blocks with the complete signaling devices at five junction-points or stations" equipped for the danger and clear signals having in addition the necessary line-wires and eq 'pment for also operating-the caution' signals. 1 i Referring first to Fig. 1, the track-is divided into a series of blocks 3, ,4, 5, 6,.and 7. 8o

Each block is provided with a track-battery 8. Each block is also provided with two'relays, one at each junction-point, as indicated by 9 and 10,.respectively. Obviously when the rails are not connected the current from '8 5 battery 8 flows through the relays 9 and 10, energizing them and holding their armatures against the front contacts, (see blocks 3-, 4, and 7 but when the rails are electrically connected, as by a train passing over them, thecurrent is shunted through the wheels and axlesand the relaysbecome demagnetized and the armatures break the front con tacts and drop to the back contacts. (See blocks 5 and 6.) At each station or junction-point is a signaling. device, as a sema- .phore, (indicated -by thenumerals 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15, respectively.) This device may consist of a motor 16, operating a gear-train 17, which in "turn operates another gearwheel 18, on the shaft of which is the signalblade 19, the weight 20 tending by the force of gravity tohold the signal-blade in danger positionhHWhen ,the current fiows through themotor, the. blade is driven to clear position an'd'will be held in that positionas long the description of the drawings, that it may 60 1 only. Fig. 2 is a similar view of a line, but 7 5 as there is current flowing throughthe motor I q Y 11d by a branch 24 to respectively the front once is hereby made. One side of the motor is connected by wire21 to the motor-battery 22, and the battery is connected by wire 23 ontact of relay 9 and the armature of relay 10. The'other side of the motor is connected by Wire 25'and the branch 26 to respectively the armature of relay 9 and the front contact of armature 10. Thisaifords two passages for the motor-circuit, one through the con tacts ofrelay 9 and the other through the contacts of relay 10. So long as either one or both of these passages are closed the mo tor-circuit will be closed; but if both passages be broken, as by the demagnetizing of both relays, the motor-circuit willbe broken and the signal will go to .danger. There- 'fore a single train or trains on a single block will not change the signals from their normal clear positions, because the relays are affected at diiferent stations; but if trains be, upon immediately-adjoining blocks the relays at the intermediate station will both be deniag: netized, with the result of permitting the sig ml 'to go to danger. 27 27 represent 'trains on adjoining blocks, and the circuits as above set forth may readily be traced by reference to Fig. 1.

Referring now to Fig. 2, the track is divided into blocks, the traclebatteries are provided and connected up, and so are thetwo relays for each station, and the signalingdev ces and motor-battery, all substantiailysimilar to the arrangement shown in Fig. 1, except that the signal-blade is adapted to the three ositions, and the motor is a reversible motor. heblade and motor in Fi 1 may be of this t e if desired, but it may a so be of any other suitabletype, this feature being immaterial in Fig. .1, but material in Fig. 2. Also one side of .the motorcircuit is connected u with a polechanger'28, which is operated liy a relay or motor 29, whereby the direction of flow of the motor-circuit current may be reversed,

and thus reverse the direction of rotation of a the si nalw perati motor. Norma-ll 'When the circuit? is brdlr en through the rglay or pole-changer motor 29, as'at station 11, the current flows in the .direction to set the sigtnal at clear, but upon energizing the mo tor- 29 thepole-changer will be shifted to reverse the direction of the current, as in station 12, and set the signal at caution but if the motor-circuit be broken, 'as by de I magnetizing both of the relays at that eta "tion, the signal will' go to' danger. One

'pole of'the polefchanger motor 29' is con-- by wire -34 to a line-wire.

emcee nected to the ground by Wire and through a battery 31, and the other pole is connected The same poles of all the batteries in the pole-changer motorcircuits are connected to earth, as indicated. The pOlechanger motorcircuits are controlled by the back contacts of the relays 10 10 The said back contact is connected to earth, and the armature is connected with a line-wire running both. ways therefrom, one 1 branch 36 36 connecting with the polechanger motor in-the QignaLstat-ion second removed in one direction from the block in which that relay 16 is located, and the'otlier 7 branch 3.5 connecting with the polechanger motor in the station second removed in the other direction. The pole-changer motor-circuits are normally open, but be conic closed by a train upon the track, Thus 7 a train upon a given block will set the signals at the second stations inboth directions. at caution, but will not affect the signals at stations at the ends of that block, which remain in their normal position of =clear,- as in the system shown in Fig. 1. Two trains with an intervening'bloclrbetween theniwill therefore each receive caution signal; u't if two trains come upon adjoining-blocks the signal motor circuit at the intermediate station will be broken, just as in the system shown in Fig. 1, and the signal at that station will be set at danger. .'Fiaeh train will always set the signals second removed in each direction in the caution gosition, wh le the signals at the ends of the less a train be also upon the first or the see lock for each particular train Wlll always be at clear on? lab 01161 block, in which latter cases the train first 1 referred to will receive a dangensignal if the the intermediate stations, as the motor-sin cuits at these intermediate stations will be broken. With this arrangement I am able by simple apparatus to provide the signaling devices for the three positions with a single signal device at each station, Whereas it has formerly required two devices at each station, one for the trains moving in each direction.

What I claim-isc i 1. In ablock-signal syst m the cornbination with a track divided into blocks, a single signaling device at each station, a reversible motor and a motor-cirouit for controlling the signaling device, a polechanger in the motorcircuit and a pole-chan er motor, a relay at each end of each block for each-signaling device, the two relays for each signaling-station being connected to control the motor circuit' in multiple, two pole-changer motoncircuits I for each pole-changermotor, one of the re? i blocks with a signaling device ateach junsignaling device in clear the circuits for the pole-changer motors for the signaling devices two blocks removed from said relay.

2. In a block-signal system for railways, the combination blocks, a track-battery for each block, two

track-relays for each block, said battery and relays being so connected as to be controlled by the train'upon the track, a signaling device at each junction-point, a motor and circuit for controlling the signaling device, said motor-circuit being controlled in multiple by the two'r'elays of the adjoining blocks, whereby said circuit will be closed whenever one or neither of the track-relays is actuated by a train upon the block and whereby said mFtor-circuit will be broken when both of said relays are actuated by trains upon adjoining blocks.

3. In a block-signal system for railways, the combination with a track dividedinto blocks, a track-battery connected to the opposite rails of each block respectively, a relay at each end'of each bloclr' connected with the opposite rails respectively, a signaling device at each junction and amotor and a motorcircuit therefor, said motor-circuit being nor-. mally closed and when closed holding the ing branches controlled in multiple by the relays at the said 'unction-point, so that a train upon one bloc will not open the circuit for the signal-motor, but trains upon adthe combination tures of the relays at that junction.

joining blocks will open said motor-circuit and set the signal at danger.

4. Ina block-signal system for railways, with a track divided into. blocks, a track-battery connected to the respective rails of each block, a relay at each end of each block connected to the rails respectively, a signaling device at each junction and a motor and a normally closed'inotor-circuit therefor, said signaling device tendin naturally to danger position but bein t own-.to'and held in clear position by t e energized motor, said motor-circuit being controlled in multiple by the arma- 5. in a block-signal system forrailways, the combination with a track divided into tion-point or signaling-station and a reversie -direction from the trolled by relays at distant b ble motor and a motor-circuit including a pole-changer therein' and tor for each signaling device; of a track-baa. tery and a relay at each, end for each block; a pole-changer motor-circuit extending in each pole=chan er and cons ocks, respectively, and said signal-motor circuit being controlled'in multiple by the relays of the adjoining blocks.

1 the combination 6. In a block-signal system for railways, with a track divided into blocks and signalin -stati ons arranged along with a track dividedinto ger" position, a reversible motor position and hava pole-changer mo-.

"the track; of a single signaling device at each station, and a reversible motor and a motorcircuit-including-a pole-changer therefor, a pole-'changeijmotor included in a circuit controlled by,a relay in a distant block; a trackbattery and two relays for each' block, said relays being located at opposite ends of the respective blocks, so that at each signalingstation there is one of the relays from each of the adjoining blocks, said two relays at each station being connected to control in mul tiple the signal-motor circuit, and one of said re changer motor-circuits for the pole-changer motors at distant stations in opposite directions.

7. In a block-signal system for railways, the combination of a track 'divided into ays being the one to control the poleblocks, a battery for each block connected to 1 opposite rails thereof, a relay. at each end of each block and connected to opposite rails; a single" signaling device at each i'unctioi or signaling-stationtending natural y to anfor said signaling device so arranged that when the cursent flows in normal direction said signal will be driven to and held in clear'position and when the current flows in opposite direction said signal will be driven to and held in caution position and when'said circuit is broken said signal will go to its, natural or danger. position, a pole-changer in said signal-motor 'circuit and a' ole-changer motor circuit'contro ed by block and extending to and including the ole-clv anger motor in a'distant station and em normally open said signal-motor circuit eing control lays 'at thesignaling-station for. the adjoining blocks and soarranged; that'- said circuit is therefor; a one of the relays in each v ed in multipleby the rep normally closed by bothrlaysand so that it track-relays at that station. g

8. Ina block-signal system for railways,

will be broken only by the operation of both the. combination of a track' divide'd--- intoblocks, a battery for'each block connected to opposite rails thereof, a relayat each end of each block and connected'toopposite rails; a single signaling device at each Ijunction orsignaling-station tending natural y to danger position, areversible motor for said'signaling device so arranged that when the current flows in normaldirection said signal-will be driven to'and held inclear position and i when the current flows-in opposite direction said signal will be driven to and held in cau tion position and when said circuit is broken said signal will go to its'natural or danger iposition, a pole-changer in, said signal-motor circuitxand a pole-changer motor therefor;

two circuits controlled by one of r25 I therelaysin each block and extending in o 'posite directions to a'nd'including the pole-changer motors at distant stations respectively and being normall y open; said signal-motor circuitfi amasa being controlled in multiple by the track-rei In testimony whereof I have -hereunt0 lays at each respective station and being norsigned, my name in the. presence of the-submally clused and being also closed when scribing Witnesses. eit ber one of: said relays is :Jflected by a train 4 J 'DSON SHOECRAFT.

5 1173011 its block and said. circuit being broken Witnesses:

wlmn both of said relays are affected by Z. T FISHER, twins upon their respective blocks. SAM Bmswow. 

